


Memory Feeds Imagination

by wackyjacqs



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s04e06 Window of Opportunity, Episode: s07e01 Fallen, Episode: s07e02 Homecoming, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22786924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wackyjacqs/pseuds/wackyjacqs
Summary: Daniel is back and all is right with SG-1 again. At least it would be, if Daniel could just remember a couple of things…
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 49
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I’ve already got two WIPs on the go, but I found this one in my ‘finished’ folder earlier but I never actually re-posted the entire story. There's only three chapters, so they will all be posted this week. 
> 
> This fic is set after Season 7’s _Fallen_ and _Homecoming._

Daniel set his notebook on the ground by his feet and cast a quick look around the team's makeshift campsite. “So, I take it we don’t receive too many missions like this?”

With a quizzical look, Sam handed him a coffee before she sat beside him on the fallen tree trunk. “Like what?”

“You know,” he shrugged as he took a drink, _“quiet.”_

Before Sam could answer however, a voice carried across from the other side of camp.

“Oh, yeah. We get them _all_ the time,” Jack deadpanned. “Getting captured and tortured by bad guys is just something we do for fun whenever we get bored.”

Instinctively, Daniel rolled his eyes at the comment while an undignified snort escaped Sam. When the archaeologist glanced at her, she just shook her head, said it was “nothing” and got to her feet to retrieve her own coffee. He studied his teammate for a moment longer before he switched his attention to Jack. Much like the rest of the team, Jack O’Neill had long since discarded his jacket to make the most of the planet’s good weather. He was sitting on the ground against an adjacent tree. His back was pressed against the trunk while his legs were stretched out in front and crossed at the ankles and his arms were folded behind his head. His face was tilted up to the sky, his shades protecting his eyes from the sun.

Daniel frowned slightly as he rested his elbows on his knees. “Um… that’s one of your jokes, right?”

He had officially been reinstated to the flagship team the previous week and despite most of his memories returning, he was still trying to decipher Jack’s exact sense of humor. That, and as he’d also started to recall more and more of SG-1’s previous missions, he wondered if they really did go out of their way to find trouble.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack removed his shades and looked in Daniel’s direction. He threw him a lopsided grin before he closed his eyes and again turned his face upwards.

A muttered comment from the younger man suddenly reverberated around camp and he winced as Jack now stared at him.

_“Hey!”_ he protested. “What – _exactly_ – is wrong with my sense of humor?”

Met with silence, Jack glanced at the other half of his team, only to see them exchange looks of their own. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Carter?”

“Yes, sir?”

“What’s wrong with my sense of humor?”

She shifted uncomfortably under the colonel’s gaze as she tried to figure out how best to answer the question. When she still hadn’t answered a few moments later, he straightened and in a sing-song voice added, “I’m waiting, Carter.”

“There’s nothing _wrong_ with it,” she offered but refused to meet his gaze.

_“But?”_

“But – it’s – it’s like an MRE.”

Her cheeks started to turn a light pink color as Jack stared in confusion. _“Excuse me?”_

“It’s an acquired taste. Sir.”

Jack’s eyes widened at the comment from his second-in-command and his arms fell to his sides, while Daniel tried to mask his laughter with a cough. Sam glared at him even though her discomfort increased with every second that passed. The colonel opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of a response but found none and instead cleared his throat sharply. Sam, reluctantly, met his eye and her face was now crimson.

“Carter –”

He was about to ask what she meant by her statement when he stopped abruptly at her expression. Embarrassment and something akin to fear flashed briefly through her eyes and he just knew he couldn’t push her for an answer yet. He didn’t dwell on why, other than the fact that it was Carter and deciding that that rationale was a satisfactory answer for his conscience, he sighed. Then he turned to Teal’c.

“T?”

“Indeed, O’Neill,” the Jaffa replied almost immediately. “It is a most unusual form of entertainment you have in your possession – and one that often provokes those in your company.”

_“What?!”_

At a dip of Teal’c’s head, Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Traitor,” he huffed.

“It is a rather unique humor you seem to have,” Daniel added thoughtfully, only to earn another glare from their team leader.

_“Major,”_ Jack barked after a beat. “What have I told you about giggling?”

“Sorry colonel,” she answered, sounding anything but apologetic and Jack couldn't help but grin. However, when he realized both Teal’c and Daniel were staring at him, his amusement vanished and he pointed an index finger at the former, then the latter, then back again.

"Just be thankful it's not one of those damn Jaffa jokes. No offence, Teal'c," he added, seeing his friends' expression change.

"A Jaffa joke?"

Jack bit back a sigh at Daniel’s sudden enthusiasm.

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. There is a great source of jokes among the Jaffa at the expense of the System Lords. Would you like me to attempt a translation of one for you now?"

"Uh, maybe later, Teal'c," Jack interrupted. "We're, ah, we're good for now," he supplied with a tight smile as he remembered back to the last joke his friend had shared.

The larger man raised a brow, the hint of a smile on his lips. "Very well, O'Neill."

With a relieved sigh, Jack resumed his previous position and relaxed against the tree as he surveyed their campsite. This mission was nothing more than a mineral survey on a thus-far uninhabited planet, so Carter was in her element, while Daniel had stumbled across a handful of Ancient-looking ruins to the west of the camp. He’d subsequently spent the last six hours attempting a translation. So, whilst the two scientists had enough to keep themselves occupied, there wasn’t a lot for Teal’c or himself to do and stay busy. However, with the events of the last year still fresh in his mind and the rapidly increasing threat of Anubis dominating the galaxy, Jack refused to complain. Instead, he was thankful that on missions such as this one, he had the foresight to stow his favorite red yo-yo at the bottom of his pack.

He decided to leave the yo-yo until later and risked a glance over at Teal’c who seemed to be using the silence to fit in some additional Kel’no’reem. Jack’s attention then slid to Daniel and he shook his head in amusement at the archeologist who was hunched beside the now-lit campfire with his nose literally stuck in one of his journals. The journal was balanced precariously on his knees as he scribbled notes in the margin and Jack briefly wondered how likely the book was to fall into the flames. Since Daniel didn’t seem concerned, Jack shrugged, then grabbed a nearby branch and pushed it into the base of the fire before he prodded the pile of MREs closer to the heat. A choked sound caught his attention and when he looked up, he saw Sam's eyes twinkling with amusement. He followed her gaze back to the fire and frowned. He’d obviously hit one MRE with more force than necessary as it was now lying in the center of the fire.

The branch in his hand soon followed and as he studied his hands he realized the smirk playing across the major's lips was because she'd caught him attacking their dinner. Worse still, she knew _why_.

“My sense of humor is _nothing_ like an MRE,” he grumbled quietly. 

With more confidence than he felt, he schooled his features and looked back to Sam – who gave him one of those smiles. The one he liked to believe was reserved just for him. The one that made his heart threaten to jump out of his chest, and the one he hadn't been on the receiving end of for a year. He returned her smile with a softer one of his own as his thoughts began to stray into dangerous territory.

Everything in Jack's gut told him to look away and retreat. To build those walls between them back up, but he couldn’t. The sun had started to set and as he studied Sam’s profile from over the flames of the fire, he realized just how perfectly the orange glow from the sky complimented his teammate.

The brightly colored sky provided a picturesque backdrop against Carter's darkening silhouette, and the dancing flames of the fire helped to highlight the golden strands of her hair. Over the past couple of months, Sam had chosen to grow her hair out slightly longer and Jack would be the first to admit – albeit silently – that it was his favorite style on her yet. It was tousled and flicked out at the ends, adding to her femininity. It made her look even more beautiful and that was something he didn’t think was possible.

Without warning, a loud pop came from the fire as one of the logs broke in two. The noise caused both officers to jump as the moment was broken. Subconsciously mirroring each other, they watched a handful of sparks twist and twirl in the air and as the final spark extinguished, Sam turned to sit beside Daniel, while Jack returned his attention to his second-in-command.

As he contemplated his thoughts, he watched as his two younger teammates talked quietly together and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Ever since Daniel’s ascension, things had been strained between him and Carter – and Jack knew it was all his fault.

From their first meeting on Abydos, Daniel and Sam were like two peas in a pod and had developed a close brother-sister relationship over the years. So, with hindsight, it probably shouldn't have surprised Jack when Sam first admitted she was struggling to cope with the death of their friend. At the time, however, Jack did nothing to comfort her. He didn’t even offer any words of wisdom or tell her things would get better. He’d continued to act as the soldier he was and pushed her away. Even when Sam had continued to try and to talk to him, he’d shut her down and told her to focus on the job.

He closed his eyes as recalled one of those conversations.

_"Colonel. We need to talk."_

_"I don't want to hear it, Carter."_

_"You can't just pretend this didn't happen."_

_"I'm not pretending anything. This is the job. We lose people all the time."_

_"We're talking about Daniel."_

_"What do you want me to do? He's gone. We've got work to do."_

Jack had made the decision to walk away, but not before he's caught the hurt in Sam's eyes. He knew he should have stopped and apologized, but this was Jack O'Neill and he didn't deal with emotions. Without Daniel as the voice of reason, it was only after a stern talking-to from Teal'c, that Jack was able to see what he was doing, and tried to stop his destructive behavior before he caused irreparable damage to his relationship with Sam.

He’d worked hard in the following months to try and not push her away, and they’d slowly managed to fall back to a comfortable working relationship. They had also grown closer, having both faced almost imminent death on a couple of missions, but it hadn’t been the same as before. Those longing looks they’d once shared as they’d awaited their fate; the stolen embraces they had shared when they realized they were both safe... none of that had happened between the two of them once Daniel had left. It was only now that their friend was back, did Jack notice how much he had actually missed those interactions with Sam.

His gaze returned to Sam and he smiled at how things were changing again.

Now that Daniel was back and regaining his memories, things had started going back to how they used to be – including his relationship with Carter.

A sigh escaped him before he could stop it and Sam glanced at him over the fire, her eyes wide and questioning. He was about to brush off her concern, when Teal'c effortlessly stood and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned to face Daniel, a look of concern on his face.

"Daniel Jackson. Why do you inquire about the quiet disposition of our mission?"

Daniel looked up in confusion. “Huh?” It took him a moment to remember his earlier comment and his expression cleared. “Oh! Uh, well – it’s just – I can’t seem to remember too much of... this," he shrugged.

Teal'c tilted his head to the side. "There are still some memories that elude you."

It was a statement, not a question, but Daniel answered all the same.

"Uh, maybe. I'm not sure."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Sam’s question was soft, her voice tinged with concern and guilt.

"Oh no,” Daniel stressed as he reached out and squeezed her hand. “It's all there. It’s just some of it feels a little – fuzzy."

Jack's eyebrows shot towards his hairline. _"Fuzzy?"_

With a sigh, Daniel closed his notebook before he pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, fuzzy. I mean, I know we do this," he said as he gestured to their surroundings, “but I don't remember too much of... _this._ "

He shrugged again as three confused faces that stared back at him.

"You don't remember our campfires?" Sam asked.

" _No!_ No, I do. Kind of. No, it's more – the peacefulness, that I don't remember," he muttered in embarrassment as he dug the toe of his boot into the ground.

“Ah.” Suddenly, it clicked with Jack and he shifted slightly. Wanting to ease the building tension, he lifted an index finger into the air and grinned. " _This_ is a novelty for us."

He held his friend’s gaze as he thought over the answer. "Oh."

"Is that it?"

"Hmm?"

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Jack clarified. "The fact that it is quiet?"

"Oh. Uh..."

"Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Well, there are a few other things."

"Care to share?" Jack asked with a wave of the hand when no further information was forthcoming.

"Umm – well – uh – do you – are you two – uh –"

Daniel slowly met Sam's eye before he subtly nodded to Jack; he then looked back at Sam and raised his eyebrows.

_“You know?”_

Sam followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to understand what he was saying.

"Never mind," Daniel eventually smiled as he retrieved his journal.

He missed Sam’s confusion as she had a silent conversation with Jack, who simply gave her a shrug in return. She took another sip of her coffee before she risked a final glance back at Daniel. He caught her eye and she suddenly realized what he _hadn't_ said. She started to choke on her drink.

"Carter?"

Jack made a move, only for her to wave off his concern.

"I'm – fine – sir," she coughed out, offering Daniel a wan smile as he slapped her on the back.

As Sam's coughing subsided, the only sounds to be heard around camp were from the planet's nightlife and the rustling of fabric as Jack finally reached for his pack. Within moments, he’d found his yo-yo. He had just mastered 'Walk the Dog' when Daniel spoke.

"Were we trapped in a time loop once?"

Yo-yo immediately forgotten, Jack's hands fell into his lap.

"Yeah," he answered, sharing a wary look with Teal’c. "Why?"

"Huh,” Daniel muttered. “Well, uh, I don't really recall anything that happened during the loops – but I know they happened."

Jack sighed heavily. He placed his hands on the ground on either side of his thighs and pushed himself up straighter.

"Well, that's probably because Teal'c and I were the only ones who actually knew we were in a loop."

With frustration, Jack scooped up his yo-yo and shoved it into his pack.

"So, you are the only two people with memories for – how long?"

"Three months," Teal'c supplied flatly.

Daniel's mouth formed a small 'O'. "Three months?"

"Yup," Jack answered.

The archeologist nodded once before turning back to his notes. "Interesting," he said.

After a beat, he added, "Did you ever do anything crazy?"


	2. Chapter 2

Jack froze at Daniel’s question and risked a glance at his other teammates. Thankfully, he was saved from saying anything for the time-being when Teal’c broke the silence.

“To what do you refer, Daniel Jackson?”

Jack looked at Teal’c, but even from his spot across the camp he could clearly see the gleam in the Jaffa’s eye and he cleared his throat nervously.

“Uh, well,” Daniel said, “you were having to re-live the same period of time over and over again.”

Pretty sure he had a ‘No shit, Sherlock’ look on his face, Jack gestured for the archaeologist to get to the point.

Daniel sighed. “Well, if you knew in advance that everything was always going to go back to the way it was, then… you could do anything – for as long as you want – without having to worry about the consequences.”

Sam’s attention switched from Daniel to Teal’c before she looked straight at her commanding officer. Her intrigue was quickly replaced by surprise as Jack became increasingly uncomfortable. He was pretty sure if the major looked hard enough she’d find a mix of guilt, fear and something else he refused to label, in his expression.

“So, in all the time you were – err – looping,” Daniel interrupted, “were you ever tempted to do something crazy?”

Jack winced at the question and lifted his eyes towards the now-dark sky. A handful of stars had started to appear and at any other time, he’d concentrate on how pretty it looked, but his teammates waited for him to answer Daniel’s question. It was one he really didn’t want to answer because he knew – just like the last time Daniel had asked the exact same question – it would open an entire can of worms that was best kept shut. He ran a hand over his face, but as his thoughts drifted back to the time loops, he couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips. He returned his attention back to the fire.

“You know, it’s funny,” he answered nonchalantly. “You asked me that before.”

Daniel’s eyes widened with interest. “And?”

Jack’s gaze unintentionally slid to Sam. She was still staring at him, her eyes shining brightly and Jack resisted the urge to sigh. She was just as interested in his answer now as she had been three years previously. His stomach plummeted.

"Uh..."

"Indeed we did, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c interrupted smugly, immediately drawing their teammates’ attention away, while Jack let out a breath.

"What did you do?" Sam’s voice was full of excitement at the prospect of finally learning what had transpired during those three months. Her smile widened as Teal'c dipped his head slightly at her request.

"O'Neill taught me to play golf."

"You learned to play golf?" Sam repeated.

"Indeed, Major Carter. It was a most interesting experience," the Jaffa added with a smile. He then turned and stared pointedly at Jack. Sam was quick to follow.

"Sir?"

"Carter."

"Did you really teach Teal'c to play golf?"

"Indeed I did, major. The big guy even set a new world record," he grinned.

"World record?"

"I believe it was several billion miles, Major Carter," Teal'c confirmed proudly.

"Several _billion_ miles," she squeaked, wincing when Jack shot her a look, "but that's imposs–" Her eyes widened as she trailed off and she shook her head slowly at her commanding officer. "Please tell me you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

_"Sir."_

"Play golf through the Stargate? Sorry, Carter. Did," Jack quipped as he crossed his ankles and leaned against a tree.

"What? Are you insane?" She immediately straightened and blushed when Jack raised an eyebrow. "I mean, what made you – how did you even get away with it, sir? There's bound to be a regulation against –"

"Oh, lighten up, Carter,” he drawled. “It was well into one of the loops when we decided to try – and we knew there was no chance of someone trying to dial Earth."

"But – you – the general –” Sam frowned. “What planet did you even dial?"

"Alaris," Teal'c stated.

"You dialed Alaris?"

Jack shrugged and seemingly at a loss for anything else to say, Sam shook her head and returned her gaze to the campfire. Jack watched her and he’d swear she was now calculating just how far Alaris was from Earth, but he resisted the urge to ask. Daniel, meanwhile, who had been watching their interaction with interest, turned to Teal'c.

"What else did you do?"

As Teal’c distributed the MREs and the team started to eat, he – and eventually Jack – continued to share some of their other loop exploits, including Teal’c locking an Airman in a storage closet, Jack learning an Ancient language, an all-out food fight in the mess hall, and an impromptu trip to a rodeo in Colorado Springs.

When Daniel wiped the tears from his eyes, he put his glasses on and smiled. "So, is that everything?"

Teal'c hesitated, then looked at Jack from the corner of his eye. Daniel followed his gaze. "Jack?"

"I – ah – taught T how to use a potter's wheel."

Sam straightened immediately. "You can make pottery, sir?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Carter," he rebuked defensively. "When you're stuck re-living the same ten hours over and over – and over again – you tend to pick things up."

"Right," she answered sheepishly. A moment later she added, "Is that everything you did, sir?"

Jack froze at the question and the forkful of food he was about to shove in his mouth hovered in front of his face.

"Yup," he nodded, then proceeded to shove the food into his mouth and refused to meet her gaze.

"Teal'c?"

"I can assure you Major Carter that I have shared with you everything I experienced within the time loops."

Sam studied him carefully. She was just about to clear away her leftovers from dinner when she noticed the gleam in the Jaffa’s eye.

"There's something you're not telling us, isn't there, sir."

It was a statement, not a question and as Jack reluctantly met her gaze, she arched a brow. He licked his lips before he placed his own MRE on the ground and slowly folded his arms across his chest.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

"I don't know, but there's something."

"Something?"

She glanced uneasily at Teal'c, then Daniel and took a deep breath.

“Out with it, Carter.”

"The first time we asked about your ‘looping', you – you kept giving me these funny looks."

Jack quirked a brow and asked her to continue.

"You... smiled at me, sir."

"And me smiling is a strange occurrence for you, is it Carter?"

" _No!_ No. I just – _like that!_ "

She pointed at him the moment she noticed the smug smile. As soon as it appeared however, it vanished as the color drained from the colonel’s face.

"I don’t know what you–"

"That smile,” Sam interrupted, “I only remember you using it after the time loops," she explained.

Jack shifted from his spot on the ground as he tried to ignore Daniel’s curious gaze and Teal’c’s knowing smile.

"I – uh –"

"So you _did_ do something?"

He sighed. "Maybe."

"I knew it!"

Sam laughed softly as his discomfort soared by his admission, but she frowned when he didn't break the stare.

"What did you do, sir?"

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to think of a way out of answering, but any ideas alluded him.

"Sir?"

"Ikksmmuum," he mumbled.

“Excuse me?"

He sighed and the words escaped before he could stop them. "I kissed you."


	3. Chapter 3

At Jack’s admission, complete silence fell over the camp. The only sound to be heard was the crackling of the fire. Holding his breath, the colonel risked a glance at Carter to find her staring at him. Her shock was evident and he noticed another emotion flash in her eyes, but before he could decide whether it was hope, anger, or something else entirely, he forced himself to look away.

“You did _what?!_ ”

He grimaced at Sam’s tone as he scrambled to his feet and mirrored her stance and slowly held his hands in front of him in a placating gesture.

“Just… take it easy,” he warned as his second-in-command started to make her way around the campfire towards him.

“You – you _kissed_ me?” It was almost a whisper, but he heard the indignation and his jaw tightened.

"Yeah," he finally whispered.

He waited as Sam tried to think of a response but the words never came. Instead, she shook her head and sat down heavily. A few more seconds passed before Jack took one slow step closer.

“Carter –”

“Don’t sir,” she interrupted as she turned wide eyes on him. _“Please.”_

As the silence returned, Jack ran a hand along the back of his neck but he was stopped from saying anything when Daniel and Teal'c started to move around camp, suggesting their dinner was well and truly over. He also pretended not to notice the tension mount with every moment that passed. Just when he felt like he couldn’t take it anymore, Sam got to her feet.

"With all due respect, sir, you're unbelievable," she uttered in amazement before she turned and walked out of camp.

She lifted her vest and zat gun as she went and Jack dragged a hand through his hair as he watched her leave.

"Crap," he muttered.

"O'Neill."

Jack spared Teal'c a glance as he stood and brushed some dust from his uniform.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "Keep an eye on camp."

He didn’t wait for an answer. By the time he caught up with Sam she was standing at the edge of a lake they had found close to camp that morning. Her back was to him, but even in the darkness he could tell that she was angry. He swallowed hard at what this could mean for him in the near future and suddenly wished that he was back in the time loop. He moved towards her slowly, making just enough noise so she wouldn't be startled by his presence. He didn’t need to worry though, as he’d barely taken two steps when her voice drifted across their quiet surroundings.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Why?"

He hesitated. "Why... what?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Ah." He hooked his index finger inside the collar of his black regulation t-shirt in discomfort as he came to a stop beside her and when Sam glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, he shrugged.

"That's it?" she snorted, mirroring his shrug.

"No," he answered brusquely, causing Sam to straighten.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't –"

He sighed softly and tried again. "No, I – ah hell, Carter."

Minutes passed in silence before he spoke again.

"You remember what Daniel said about the whole 'no consequences' thing," Jack hedged as he drew air quotes around the phrase. "Well, he was right. All those times Teal'c and I played golf through the gate; the food fights in the Commissary; the loops we took off... there were no consequences when time reset."

Sam turned to face him, a look of genuine interest softening the edges of her annoyance and Jack took a breath.

"So that's when I got the idea."

"To kiss me?"

He nodded, not quite trusting his voice.

"Because you knew I couldn't bring you up on charges, or –"

" _What?_ God, no!" Jack took a step back at her words and the direction her thoughts had taken. Then realization dawned. _Was that why she was annoyed?_ He closed his eyes and sighed. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"Carter – _Sam._ We went to '639 a week after the whole Za'tarc thing. I guess I was still high from those freakin' armbands or something," he trailed off. "When we – when _I_ kissed you... I only did it because I knew there'd be no consequences _to_ doing it."

A look of alarm appeared in Sam’s eyes, but Jack quickly shook his head.

"I mean, I _wanted_ to do it, but I knew that once the loop reset, I couldn't be brought up on charges by _my_ superiors."

" _Your_ superiors, sir?"

"Yeah."

"Why –"

"When I kissed you, it was in the Gate Room just seconds before the loop reset. I did resign first – General Hammond was there and everything," he added with a wistful smile as he remembered the look of shock on the Texan’s face. "Anyway, I – I knew that no one – besides me – would remember it, so –"

"So, you thought it would be okay?"

"Yes. _No!_ I –"

"How many times did you – ah – we kiss?"

"Once."

Sam arched a brow in disbelief at his quick answer.

"I swear," he said. "I could only do it the once," he added but when he caught the hurt look on Sam's face, he realized how his words sounded. "Ah, crap. I didn't mean it like that, Carter. I mean, you're not – it's not…" He sucked in a breath before letting it go slowly. "I only trusted _myself_ to do it the once."

"Oh."

Jack tilted his head and regarded his second-in-command carefully when she didn't say anything else.

"So..."

"So?"

"So, we didn't – we didn’t do anything else?" she asked quietly, avoiding his gaze.

"No. I'd never do that, Sam."

She sighed heavily, and Jack wasn't sure if it was down to relief or disappointment.

"I know," she sighed, then smiled slightly. "I always wondered, you know. About the loops and what you and Teal'c really got up to,” she added when Jack frowned in confusion. “I mean – no offence, sir – but you're not the most patient of men. I knew there was no way you used every single loop to try and find, then fix, the problem – especially when it involved learning an Ancient language.”

Jack pulled a face and he noticed Sam’s smile disappear and her curiosity return as she continued: "So then I thought there was more to it. And when you smiled at me… I knew. I didn't know _what_ it was, but I knew it was something, because you'd never smiled at me like that before."

She blushed suddenly and Jack tried not to let his disappointment show as Sam turned away from him to look out towards the lake. When a few minutes of silence passed between them, Jack cleared his throat.

“Does this mean we’re okay?”

"No. I'm still mad at you, sir,” she admitted. "Or rather the circumstances – or time loop – whatever.”

"I am sorry, Carter."

"Don't be," she offered with a wry smile.

Her response surprised him. “Uh –"

"Do you know what the most annoying thing is?"

Jack shrugged but waited until Sam turned fully to face him.

"You're the only one who remembers what it was like," she whispered.

"Carter –" He glanced up at the night sky and took a deep breath before he let his gaze return to the woman standing by his side.

She was now staring at the ground, refusing to meet his eye, no matter how many times he said her name. Finally, he removed his baseball cap and let it fall to the ground as he stepped forward.

"To hell with it," he muttered as he suddenly grabbed Sam just like he had in the gate room. His lips crashed onto hers and he felt her tense for a moment before she responded, just like she had in the time loop. As he dipped her, her arms snaked around his neck. The only difference this time, however, was that time didn't reset – and the kiss went on for a lot longer than it had during the loop.

As certain parts of Jack's anatomy started to respond to the way Sam melted against him and the way she moaned into his mouth, he used every shred of self-restraint he had left to pull back. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Holy Hannah," she whispered breathlessly after a minute, making Jack grin smugly.

"Now the two of us can remember what it was like."

Sam's fingers played idly with the hair at the nape of his neck, sending currents of desire through him, while Jack's arms remained looped around the small of Sam's back, his fingers splayed and drawing soft, random patterns across the base of her spine. His eyes darted to Sam's lips and back to her eyes. He inched closer, but stopped and growled quietly. Reluctantly, he straightened and loosened his grip around Sam. He tried to ignore the soft whimper that elicited from her as he put some distance between them and as they stood and stared at each other Jack shoved one hand in his pocket, the other rubbing at the back of his neck where it still tingled from her touch. He cleared his throat as the thoughts sent his blood rushing south again.

"So, ah, are we okay now?"

Sam pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she considered the question and Jack had to bite down on his own lip to stop a moan from escaping.

"Is that how it happened during the loop?"

"Yep."

"Even my reaction?"

_"Oh yeah."_

She ducked her chin at his smug answer. "I guess we're okay.”

He let his gaze roam over her face once more before he gestured towards their camp. "Shall we – before a search party arrives?"

With a soft chuckle, Sam nodded and they started to make their way back in contented silence. Just as the first signs of camp came into view though, Jack reached out, his fingers gently wrapping around Sam's upper arm.

"Sir?"

"Are you sure we're good?"

"Permission to speak freely again, colonel?"

He squeezed her arm lightly, letting her know it was fine. Without warning, Sam stepped into his personal space and rested a hand on his chest as she brushed her lips lightly against his.

"Yes,” she whispered, “but next time don't wait three years to tell me."

With that, she smiled and turned back to camp, leaving Jack to stare after her in surprise. When he snapped back to reality, he had to jog if he wanted to catch her in time.

"Hey Carter,” he grinned, “wait up!".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always, for your kudos and comments and messages. They genuinely make my day!


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